


Bedroom Associate

by MistressArafax



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M, Mild Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:27:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22411744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressArafax/pseuds/MistressArafax
Summary: In which Kaiba opens his mouth and says things that were better left unsaid.
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto
Comments: 18
Kudos: 90





	Bedroom Associate

Joey panted, desperately sucking in air as pleasure washed over him. God, Kaiba was so good at this. In general, it wasn't fair for him to be so good looking, rich, and powerful, but that he was so good at fucking on top of that… It was like all the worst people got all the best things.

Though Joey didn't think of Kaiba as the worst anymore. He was definitely still an ass, but Kaiba was  _ his _ ass now.

He came, stars dotting his vision, and he knew Kaiba was getting close too from the way he moaned, deep and sensual right against Joey's neck. There was a whine buried in it, something that reminded Joey of a childish demand of 'me, too.' It grew in urgency until Kaiba fell apart, moaning loudly as he sunk deep into Joey and released.

Covered in sweat and completely spent, Joey nudged Kaiba off of him. They stayed close though. Joey liked to bask in the past-coital afterglow, and Kaiba was always too good-natured after sex to tell him to go away. It was probably when the got along best, curled up together under the comforter after a romp in the sheets.

They'd been getting along better in general though. Spending time together outside the bedroom. Going out to grab dinner or see movies. Spending time together with Mokuba too. Joey wondered if it meant something. If it meant they were more than just friends with benefits, but he'd been too scared to say something directly. He didn't want to ruin what they already had by making Kaiba think he wanted to be something more. It kind of felt like they were something more if he was honest with himself, but he didn't want to make Kaiba uncomfortable and abruptly end things.

He had, however, asked Mokuba to do some digging for him. Because Mokuba asking questions would come across differently than him asking. However, Mokuba hadn't had any luck. Just a simple shrug from Kaiba. No real answer. "I have no clue, Joey," Mokuba said apologetically. "Maybe he doesn't know what to consider you."

That had been two weeks ago, and the desire to know had only grown more incessant. Nerves hit him as he seriously considered just going ahead and asking, making him anxious and fidgety as he rolled over, facing away from Kaiba.

Kaiba sighed and moved closer, an arm draped over Joey's waist. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'."

A soft scoff tousled his hair. "Please. You're all tensed up. Something's on your mind."

"I…" He took a moment to figure out how to word it. It was too late to back out now that Kaiba demanded an answer. "What am I to ya?"

"What do you mean?"

Joey cursed himself for wording it in a way Kaiba didn't immediately get before trying again. "Like...how would ya consider this? Our relationship or whatever?"

Kaiba thought for half a second, answering quickly after that. "Bedroom associates."

Joey curled his lip in distaste. It wasn't the answer he wanted. And also… "That sounds...wrong."

"How so?" Genuine confusion hung in Kaiba's tone.

"Eh...don't it make me sound like some kind 'a hooker? Like you're payin' for me to be here."

"Am I not? I've let you stay here for free and have spent quite a bit on you, after all."

It took Joey a moment to register the words and a couple of extra seconds for the anger to set in. Kaiba really thought their relationship was just Joey repaying his debts by having sex with him? Joey wanted to punch the asshole. Straddle him and beat him senseless. He kept himself in check, but his vision blurred red and his fury rolled off of him in waves. He couldn't stand the sight of Kaiba right now, feeling utterly disgusted and used. "Fuck you," he hissed venomously as he stood up, seething. He pulled his clothes back on, trembling in anger, and he stomped out of the room, making sure to slam the door behind him.

He didn't really have anywhere to go, but he needed to be anywhere besides in the same building as Kaiba. If Joey saw the brunet right now, he'd probably throttle him. So much for thinking there was something more between them.

He was going to go crash at Tristan's, knowing his old friend had a couch he could crash on. Tristan would probably even have beer or liquor in the fridge, and Joey could forget about how much time he'd just wasted on Kaiba. Drown out his rage and sooth the hurt inflicted by Kaiba's words.

-

He made it to Tristan's in record time, too pissed to bother with following the speed limits. His old beater was on its last legs, and normally, he cared enough about not being able to afford to buy a new car that he treated it kindly, but he was far too angry to give a shit about that right now. As he'd driven, his anger waned a bit, shifting mostly to just hurt. That Kaiba only thought of their hours spent together as Joey being a leech and that sex as some kind of repayment was almost unbelievable and hurt more than he could put into words.

Tristan pulled open the door, bleary eyed and in only pajama bottoms. It was clear his longtime friend had been in bed, and Joey could feel Tristan's eyes following him, especially as he went to the fridge and immediately pulled out a full bottle of vodka and took a long swig.

"Well, hello to you, too," Tristan said flatly, following after him. "What are you doing here and why are you so...like this?" He gestured at Joey, seeming flabbergasted.

"Kaiba," Joey replied grumpily.

"What'd he do?"

"He said some shit." Which was the understatement of the century, but he wasn't getting into all the details with Tristan right now. He doubted Tristan wanted to hear it now either considering it was late, and he probably wanted to be in bed.

"Of course he did. That's what you get for getting involved with him."

He really didn't need the lecture. Getting involved with Kaiba in any capacity had been a giant pain in the ass.  _ Quite literally _ , he thought bitterly. "I thought things were goin' good between us, Tris'. I really did. But then...I guess he don't see things the same as I do. And he said some hurtful shit. I just wanna get wasted and forget about 'im."

Tristan shrugged, thankfully not inclined to pressing the topic. "Suit yourself. Couch is yours as long as you can stand it. But don't drink all my booze, alright. I gotta work in the morning, so I'll see ya later."

"Alright," Joey agreed. Tristan slinked back to bed. Joey settled on the couch, vodka cradled in his arms and drowned out his hurt and anger with each swallow until eventually, he couldn't remember anything at all.

-

"Where's Joey been?" Mokuba asked from the doorway of his office.

Where indeed. Kaiba had no clue. He hadn't seen or heard from Joey since he'd stormed off after their conversation the other night. For the life of him, he didn't understand what Joey had found so offensive. However, he was unhappy that Joey hadn't been in his bed the last several nights. Him not being there felt wrong and made him restless. Tossing and turning. Worrying about whether something had happened to Joey, but he'd never admit it.

Mokuba came the rest of the way in, plopping down on the couch. "I haven't seen him around the last couple of days. Did something happen?"

Kaiba shrugged, noncommittal, but he saw how Mokuba narrowed his eyes.

"What happened?" Mokuba asked sharply.

"We're at work. We can talk about this later."

Mokuba checked his wrist watch, retorting, "It's well after quitting time. You can talk now."

"Tch."

"Come on, Seto. What's up? Things were going so well between you two."

Kaiba sighed heavily. "He asked me to define our relationship."

"And you said?"

"I told him that I enjoy sharing a bed with him."

"And…? There's no way that pissed him off so much he disappeared for two days." Mokuba's phone vibrated, and Kaiba didn't miss how his younger brother paused to read the received message. "What the fuck, Seto!?" Mokuba exclaimed, as he fixed Kaiba with a glower.

"Is that...Joey?" Not like he needed the confirmation with the way Mokuba continued to glare through him.

"You called him a 'bedroom associate' and suggested you were paying him for sex? No wonder he's pissed at you. Hell, I'm pissed at you, too. Why the fuck would you say that?"

"I was...attempting to joke," Kaiba explained. "I didn't think he'd take it so seriously with how much he usually jokes around."

Mokuba sighed, exasperated. "Joey  _ really _ likes you, Seto. He wanted to know if you felt the same."

Kaiba felt a pang of something he figured was regret. Not something he usually felt, but most of his time with Joey had been experiencing emotions he usually didn't. "That's not what he asked me," Kaiba returned defensively.

"He asked me to ask you a couple of weeks ago, but I couldn't get an answer out of you. You kept dodging the question anytime I brought up the topic. What is it that you really want from him?"

He thought about it for several and came up with nothing. "I don't know."

"You know everything," Mokuba shot back. "Is Joey just a fuck buddy, or do you want to be more?"

"Are we not already something more?" Kaiba questioned softly. "I've included him in our activities. In  _ my _ activities. I let him share a bed with me."

"Okay, and do you want those things to continue? Do you like him being around?"

Kaiba truly hadn't thought too deeply about it before now. He's considered whether Joey may have had ulterior motives. He's been suspicious and cautious about everything from the get go, but once things had escalated physically between them, he hadn't thought about it. Perhaps he'd been reluctant to explore any deeper meaning behind the time they were spending together, but he knew he didn't want it to end. And he knew the answer to Mokuba's question. "I do, yes."

Mokuba seemed to draw himself together, sucking in a breath and straightening his posture before leveling a serious look at Kaiba. "Then you need to go apologize to him. Right now."

Kaiba hesitated, the idea of apologizing grating against every single one of his instincts, but deep down, he knew Mokuba was right. He didn't want to lose Joey now that they'd settled into a comfortable routine with each other. He especially hated the idea of things coming to a stop over a joke that had, in hindsight, likely been in poor taste. He sighed, not liking the fact he was going to have to own up to his own wrongdoing. "I suppose I'll go talk to.him."

Mokuba nodded and flashed the screen of his phone at Kaiba. "He's at Tristan's by the way."

He stood and packed up his things. There was still work to be done, but Mokuba was right. Work hours were over for the day, and there would be plenty of time to sort things out once he'd made amends with Joey. Mokuba stayed with him as they made their way out of the building, to their cars parked in the special spots marked for KaibaCorp executives exclusively.

Mokuba cleared his throat, saying, "I'll go ahead home and have Chef cook up dinner for the three of us. I expect Joey to be with you when you come home."

Kaiba nodded, somewhere between amused and annoyed at his brother's forwardness. "I promise I'll be successful."

Mokuba rolled his eyes, got in his car, and Kaiba did the same. The engine roared to life, and he made his way through the rush hour traffic to Tristan's apartment.

-

An hour later, thanks to an accident on the interstate slowing his progress, he stood knocking at the door of Tristan's apartment. The delay from the traffic had him in a bad mood. Paired with how he hadn't slept well the last few nights thanks to Joey's absence, he mentally reminded himself to not let his irritation get the better of him. The door was pulled open slowly, and Tristan stuck his head out.

"Oh. Hey, Kaiba," he said, surprise evident in his tone. "Uh...what are you doing here?"

"Mokuba told me Wheeler is here."

"Umm…" Tristan looked behind him, his eyes uncertain. "He's not here right now."

A lie, and Kaiba knew it. "Is he now?" Kaiba asked, eyebrow raised. "Where can I find him then? I need to speak with him."

"I uh… I don't think he wants to see you."

Kaiba sighed and then raised his voice, making sure Joey would hear him from wherever he was hiding out in Tristan's apartment. "I know you're lying about him not being here. If he doesn't want to see me, he should tell me himself."

The door was pulled open further, yanked out of Tristan's hand to reveal Joey. "I don't wanna see you. There. Happy?" He tried to slam the door on Kaiba's face, but Kaiba caught it and pushed his way into the apartment. Joey wouldn't be allowed to treat him like this, God damn it.

"I'm not done talking."

"I said I don't wanna see ya. And I ain't gonna listen."

Tristan tried to shoo him out, but Kaiba refused to budge.

"You won't listen to me even if I came to apologize?" Kaiba asked, feeling a vein throb in aggravation.

Joey stopped moving and gazed at him with reluctant curiosity. "Ya mean that?"

Kaiba nodded a single time, and Tristan hurried out of the room without a word. He knew to give them privacy, but Kaiba suspected he'd eavesdrop from the other room. Once they were alone, Joey crossed his arms over his chest, clearly waiting for Kaiba to speak first.

Kaiba had thought about what he was going to say for the entire drive over, rehearsed it to some degree, and looking at Joey now only strengthened his resolve. "Joseph, I'm sorry for what I said to you the other night. I was trying to make a joke, but you took it personally."

Joey stayed quiet, jaw flexing as he weighed the words. "It was an awful joke. It made me feel bad, ya know? When you tell me that you only are nice to me so I'll have sex with you."

"That's not what I meant. I was being facetious when I said what I did the other night. You don't owe me anything, but I'd like you to come back. Mokuba would too."

"He put ya up to this, didn't he?" Joey asked, a frown marring his face.

"He talked to me, yes, but Mokuba can't force me to do anything I don't want to do myself. I'm here because I need to be."

Joey laughed, and Kaiba felt some of his tension ease. "You aren't very good at apologizin', ya know that? But I know it's hard for ya to admit when you're in the wrong."

Kaiba shook his head. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I found 'bedroom associate' an entertaining way to think of us and thought you might too."

"I mean...It is kinda funny, but it ain't the answer I wanted. And ya gotta admit that it kinda sounds like somethin' you'd call an employee."

"It does. But I do think of us as being together," Kaiba explained. "Perhaps not dating. I've never dated anyone so I wouldn't know if this is that, but I like having you around. I want you to stay around."

Joey smiled, a genuine, relieved smile. "You really are fuckin' terrible at expressin' yourself, but hell, I'm probably not much better. I like you, Kaiba. I never said it before, but I guess I kinda thought with all the shit we've been doin' together, it was obvious. But...yeah. I wanna date you. I wanna be able to say you're my boyfriend. That's part of why I got so upset at what ya said. But is that okay? Can I call ya my boyfriend?"

Kaiba nodded. "I don't mind."

"Will you call me your boyfriend, too?"

"If you insist. I feel like 'bedroom associate' fits my image better though." 

Joey snorted, entertained. "I mean, yeah, it does. But maybe we should save that for when it's just the two of us."

"Noted," Kaiba said.

Joey gave him a hug, a quick kiss on the cheek, and then darted back towards the room Tristan had disappeared into. Kaiba heard them speaking but didn't listen to what they were saying. Joey came back with a smile on his face and a bag full of clothing.

"Let's head home," he said, taking Kaiba's hand and interlocking their fingers.

Kaiba agreed wholeheartedly.

**Author's Note:**

> A couple months ago, I was trying to think what one might call a non-binary significant other beyond just 'partner.' My brain suggested 'bedroom associate', I burst out laughing, and imagined that it would be the perfect Kaiba thing. I decided I'd write it someday, and today was that day. 
> 
> Also...Happy birthday, Jou!


End file.
